Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi—liquid pastes of decades ago，now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini—greenhouses on the moon．
Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables．Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers——and eventually food on the moon．
This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminiumframe．It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface，and protect it while it grows．
The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $21 million to any entrant who can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.
Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight Schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest．
When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.
“Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away，but it is important that we do this research now. ”Paragon president Jane Poynter said．
“It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in. ”she said．The article is written mainly to__________．
| A．predict the astronauts’ meals in the future |
| B．introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis’’ |
| C．tell us the future development of astronomy |
| D．focus on the human’s great progress |
The article implies that__________．
| A．astronauts can grow flowers in space at present | |
| B．Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately | |
C．Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space |
D．the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012 |
The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of______．
| A．plants | B．wild beasts | C．human beings | D．scientists |
The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because _________.
| A．their life cycle is much shorter |
| B．they are more nutritious than other food |
| C．they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage |
| D．they are very delicious |
I was going to die in Antarctica, I was certain. A picture of my frost-covered body, pale and lifeless, filled my mind as I glanced around. In all directions spreads the empty wilderness of Antarctica, the only feature being the division between snow and sky. I sadly stared at my team, who were rapidly disappearing from my sight．
It happened in the year 2009 when I was head of an adventure attempting to reach the South Pole. The team was made up of ordinary women from all around the world—from Jamaica, India, Singapore and Cyprus—many of whom had never seen snow, or spent a night in a tent, before we set off. Our aim was to be the most international all-female team to reach the South Pole．
By the time I realized that my sledge was firmly stuck, the team were already a long way ahead of me. I called out to Era, my teammate from Brunei, who was next in line. Getting no response, I called again, but my shouts were carried away in the opposite direction by the wind. I had stood and watched the line for a while as it marched away from me, confident that at any moment one of my teammates would look behind her. Seconds passed. Nothing. I was gradually being left alone．
I pushed my sledge again, my strength suddenly increased when I thought of a cold, lonely death. This time the sledge moved a little. I kicked at the ice with my ski-pole and boot, desperately trying to break the sledge free and pushed again. The sledge shot forward, knocking me off balance. I struggled to my feet and set off after the team．
I caught up just as they realized I wasn't there. As we continued, my panic slowly faded. I found myself laughing to myself as I noticed Reena checking behind her every few paces. In fact for the whole of the rest of the day each member of the team glanced over her shoulder every few minutes. They were not going to risk losing me again.What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The author's poor physical condition． |
| B．The wonderful sights of Antarctica． |
| C．The rough natural conditions of Antarctica． |
| D．The author's regret of being left alone． |
What's the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．Brief introduction about the adventure. |
| B．How the author became the team leader. |
| C．The process of selecting the team members. |
| D．Complete information about the team members. |
What made it possible for the author to get her sledge out of the ice?
| A．The shouts of her teammates. |
| B．The strong desire to live on. |
| C．A sudden change in wind direction. |
| D．The natural beauty ahead in Antarctica. |
Why did the team form the habit of looking behind?
| A．Because they were expecting their team leader's arrival. |
| B．Because their team leader demanded them to do so. |
| C．Because they were afraid there might be danger coming from behind. |
| D．Because they wanted to make sure their team leader was following. |
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is true?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．A hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．Bread. | B．Butter. | C．Coffee. | D．Cold water. |
What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?
| A．They take the food home with a “doggie bag” for their dogs. |
| B．They leave the food on the table and go away. |
| C．They take the food home with a “doggie bag” and enjoy the food later. |
| D．They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them. |
What can you learn about “tips” according to the passage?
| A．Customers often add tips to their check. |
| B．The price of the meal usually includes the tip. |
| C．People are not expected to pay tips in addition. |
| D．Tips are supposed to be left on the table when customers leave |
Do you like chocolate? Maybe most people do. A box of it can be a great gift. Buy one for a friend and give it as a surprise. See how happy that person gets.
Say you just got a box of chocolate. Which piece do you pick first? A man has studied people’s choices. He says they tell something about the person. Did you choose a round piece? You are a person who likes to party. Did you choose an oval (椭圆形的) shape? You are a person who likes to make things. Picking a square shape shows something else. The person is honest and truthful. You can depend on him or her.
What kind of chocolate do you pick? Maybe you like milk chocolate. This shows you have warm feelings about the past. Dark chocolate means something else. A person who chooses it looks toward the future. What about white chocolate? Would you choose it? If so, you may find it hard to make up your mind. Some people like chocolate with nuts. These are people who like to help others.
Do you believe these ideas? Can candy tell all these things? It doesn’t really matter. There is one sure thing about eaters of chocolate. They eat it because they like it.This passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．why people like chocolate |
| B．almost everyone likes chocolate |
| C．about different kinds of chocolate |
| D．different choices may show different characters |
Picking a round shape of chocolate shows that a person ______.
| A．can be depended on |
| B．likes singing, dancing and drinking |
| C．is good at making things |
| D．likes to do something for others |
From this passage we can say that a helpful man may choose chocolate ______.
| A．with nuts | B．with coffee |
| C．in square shape | D．in oval shape |
The last paragraph suggests that the writer ______.
| A．believes all the information about chocolate |
| B．does not believe the information about candy |
| C．is trying to get you to believe these information |
| D．doesn’t think it important whether you believe the ideas |
In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment(娱乐).
The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites(网址), people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion（十亿）dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the most popular Internet technology in 2006 |
| B．some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet |
| C．one online game called Second Life |
| D．the high price of playing online |
Who is the owner of YouTube now?
| A．Three young men. | B．Google. |
| C．Computer users. | D．Yahoo. |
Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．The people who are interested in blogs. |
| B．The people who play games on YouTube. |
| C．The people who play Second Life. |
| D．The people who are created in Second Life. |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website. |
| B．More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports. |
| C．Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life. |
| D．Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world. |
The average American child spends three to five hours a day watching TV. In 1961, the average child began to watch television at age three; however, today it is nine months. Yet, most parents think that television has bad influence on their children. For example, in the early 1970s, my parents believed that my bad eyesight was the result of sitting too close to the screen, and they therefore made my stay at least six feet from it. Today, most people have no such worry, but many new ridiculous (荒谬的) sayings have appeared:
*TV makes kids stupid. Many children watch more educational programs when they are pre-schoolers. When they grow up, they can read more books and have much better ideas to solve difficult problems than other children.
*TV makes kids violent. The real story is not so simple. Hundreds of studies show that watching violence on TV makes children more aggressive (好斗的). But a study of over 5,000 children also finds that some positive programs make children kinder. The problem is that kids are increasingly watching shows with violence instead of those suitable for their age.
*Sitting around watching TV makes kids overweight. An experiment finds that when children watch less television, they do lose extra weight; however, reducing their television time does not make them more active. The real problem lies in snacking (吃零食). A widespread habit for kids, and junk-food advertisements.
*TV helps kids get to sleep. The opposite is true. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to have irregular sleep and nap(小睡) patterns. Allowing kids to watch television is part of the problem, not the solution.Which one is the advantage of educational TV programs?
| A．They will make children solve difficult problems better than others. |
| B．they will improve children’s ability to get along with others. |
| C．They are likely to make children more aggressive. |
| D．They will make sure of children’s success in the future. |
Why are children spending much time watching TV likely to be fat?
| A．Watching TV makes children lazy and inactive. |
| B．Children are attracted by the food advertisement on TV. |
| C．Watching TV doesn’t burn up as much fat as doing sports. |
| D．Children like to snack while watching TV. |
What influence does watching TV have on a child’s sleep?
| A．Children are likely to sleep deeper after watching TV. |
| B．Children’s sleep time will be greatly reduced. |
| C．It will make children form a bad habit of sleeping. |
| D．It will make children sleep easier. |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To increase people’s knowledge of watching TV. |
| B．To warn parents of the disadvantages of watching TV. |
| C．To explain the bad influences that watching TV has on children. |
| D．To correct parents’ wrong ideas of television’s effect on children. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号